Almost half a million pounds has been spent securing and maintaining an old community centre in Watford while it awaits demolition.

The Bill Everett Centre, in Leggatts Way, is one of a portfolio of empty sites the county council has spent £1.5 million securing since April 1, 2010, including those awaiting demolition and sale.

The monthly cost of security of the Bill Everett Centre was at least £4,316, and in the last full year alone security cost £84,000.

The total bill for securing the site is £280,000, and a further £200,000 has been spent on "running costs".

The cost of removing the building, a decision made four years ago, will be a further £110,000.

Leader of the opposition, liberal democrat Stephen Giles-Medhurst, said: "The conservatives at County Hall have clearly not had their eye on the ball on this.

"They have allowed security charges to rack up year on year while local council tax payers are footing the bill.

"Street lights are going out, and vital services are at risk but they are spending millions on securing empty buildings they want to sell. It looks like they are fiddling as Rome burns."

The county council has still not decided what to do with the site, having rejected an application from Taylor Wimpey to build homes on the site.

Councillor Giles-Medhurst, who represents Watford Central and Oxhey, added: "A four year delay from closing the premises to the public to deciding to demolish it and then not knowing what to do it is a disgrace.

"The county council has dilly dallied on this. They did not even apply to Watford Council for planning permission to demolish the buildings until late this year."

The Watford Observer reported in 2008 how the Bill Everett Centre had been judged "surplus to requirements" and the council expected to raise £3 million from its sale.

Councillor Giles-Medhurst added: "Whilst one can expect a vacant site to be secured before it is sold-on or redeveloped one has to ask why the four-year delay and why waste almost £300,000?

"Could no community group have been given a free use of the buildings in the meantime? We need more schools, but have not thought of that for the site - after all it was a school originally.

"These are staggering amounts that could have been used to protect services not just spent on private security firms."

The matter was brought up at a full county council meeting today.

Conservative councillor Derek Ashley said: "We have a spreadsheet of goodness knows how many properties we are looking at for future use. It is not as simple as the lib dems would suggest."